This post comes from Melanie in Sydney. Melanie is a Mum of 3 kids, home-renovator and runs a Real Estate agency in North Sydney with her husband.
When deciding on coverings for your windows, keep in mind that you can use a range of curtains, blinds and shutters to add interest and character to your home. We used a combination of all three, taking into account the style of the room, how much light was needed and cost.
We installed Plantation Shutters on the front of our house and I really think they were the perfect finishing touch. I love Plantation Shutters, however they can be expensive – sometimes up to 3 times the price of roller blinds. So we used them as a feature, rather than installing them all through the home.
Plantation Shutter and Roller Blinds in the Main Bedroom
We fitted roller blinds in our main living area and the bedrooms as these are the new and more modern rooms in the house. We had these professionally installed. Whilst they look great, I would consider using translucent roller blinds next time as when they are closed they still let some light in, whilst maintaining privacy. They also keep out the cold and the heat in when needed.
We used timber Venetian Blinds in our sitting room, as this is the original and more traditional part of our house. We bought these from Bunnings and my husband installed them himself. (Installation tip: if you are drilling into brick, not all cordless drills will be strong enough. You may need a more powerful drill which plugs into a normal power point). Although we installed these ourselves, there are certainly advantages to having blinds professionally fitted. Mainly that they are measured and designed to fit your window size exactly, so the finished look is slick. However, you obviously pay extra for this service.
Timber Venetian Blinds from Bunnings in the Sitting Room
Big, heavy curtains in luxurious fabrics are also back in fashion, so I will consider installing these in our new home. Heavy lined curtains are also practical in the kids bedrooms – when lined with blockout material they provide fantastic light resistance, encouraging some morning sleep-ins from the little ones!
Have you seen or installed some shutters, blinds or curtains you love?
– Melanie
